Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Sex Differential Responding In Preschool Teachers: A Foundation For A Functional Analysis, Joanne Kimak

Masters Theses

This observational study investigated whether there was consistent sex differential treatment of children by preschool teachers. It measured the antecedents and consequences of responses made by children to certain problematic situations often present in free-play situations. The subjects were five paraprofessional teachers in a university affiliated preschool. In five classrooms, observers recorded the occurrence of aggression, accident, and object problems, the Various children's responses to these problems, and the teacher response to the children. The data were analyzed to determine if the teachers were responding differentially on the basis of the sex of the child and if there were sex …

The Detection Of Behavioral Effects In The F1 Generation Of Mice Treated During Spermatogenesis With Mitcmycin C And Ethyl-Nitrosourea, Bethel Elizabeth Imel

Masters Theses

Groups of 10, 8 and 6 HA(1CR) adult male mice were injected by a single intraperitoneal injection with 100 mg Ethyl-Nitrosourea, 2.5 mg Mitomcyin C or a saline Control. Treatment was administered in milligram per kilogram of body weight. Each male was mated to two untreated females during the fifth week after treatment. Progeny were evaluated by observations of reproduction, development, motor reflex, motor coordination and locomotor activity. Decreased weights were seen during the preweaning period among offspring from Mitomycin C treated males. The Mitomycin C group demonstrated consistent deficits in water escape performance. Mitomycin C progeny also exhibited one …

The Effects Of Intermittent Schedules Of Reinforcement On The Generation Of Adjunctive Behavior In Humans, Kenneth L. Hearn

Masters Theses

The primary goals of this study were: (1) to determine if interim behaviors occur with humans responding under intermittent schedules of reinforcement; -and, (2) if interim behaviors do occur, to compare the characteristics of those behaviors with the characteristics of adjunctive behavior in nonhumans. Two developmentally disabled males, ages 15 and 19, served as subjects. The subjects pressed a white panel for food, tokens and plastic objects under several schedules of reinforcement. The response rate on the white panel and the duration of interim behaviors that occurred during the inter-reinforcement intervals was measured using standard electro-mechanical equipment. All behaviors were …

A Staff Training Program To Change Target Behaviors: Acquisition, Transfer, And Effects Of Behavior Management Training With Paraprofessionals, Patricia D. Foster

Masters Theses

This study assessed the direct and transferred effects of a training package consisting of written rules, modeling, role playing, and vocal verbal feedback on the behavior management skills of three paraprofessional staff and evaluated the resulting impact o f these techniques on the maladaptive behaviors of severely multiply impaired adults. A multiple baseline across three instructional situation types (a transition period in which staff were not assigned to a particular pupil, a group instructional session in which one staff was assigned to three pupils, and an individual instructional session in which each staff was assigned to one pupil) was utilized. …

Significance Evaluation And Research Potential Of Prehistoric Sites In Thunder Basin National Grassland, Wyoming, Christopher A. Cojeen

Masters Theses

Known and potential prehistoric archeological sites in Thunder Basin National Grassland in Wyoming are examined and problems involved in significance evaluation are discussed. Emphasis is placed upon the need to develop research strategies to contend with two frequently encountered site types -- lithic scatters and stone circles. Some archeologists (Frison 1978; Tibesar et al. 1987) have suggested that further research on these site types would contribute substantially to an understanding to an understanding of High Plains prehistory. In conclusion, a recent attempt to develop a conceptual basis for prehistoric study in Thunder Basin National Grassland is discussed, and some regional …

The Effects Of Three Instructional Strategies On The Food Group Labeling Responses In Preschool Children, Jon Jeffery Boes

Masters Theses

This study compared three Direct Instruction procedures for teaching the labeling of food in terms of the five basic food groups (fruits, vegetables, meats, grains, and dairy products). Eighteen preschoolers served as subjects. They were randomly assigned to three experimental groups and a control group. The experimental group was assigned to one of the following instructional procedures: (1) Generative I, (2) Generative II, (3) Generative III. The sets of exercises in the procedures were taught as one track in a Direct Instruction program designed to teach nutrition knowledge. All other exercises in the program were identical for the three experimental …

An Exploration Of The Relationship Among Rhetorical Sensitivity, Communication Apprehension, And Nonverbal Decoding Ability, Mary Aileen Palanca

Masters Theses

This study explored the potential relationship which might exist among rhetorical sensitivity, communication apprehension, and nonverbal decoding ability. Three measuring instruments, the Rhetorical Sensitivity Scale, the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension, and the Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity, were administered to 109 participants, 68 females and 41 males. Gender and age were examined to see what effect they might have on the potential relationship. No relationship was found among rhetorical sensitivity, communication apprehension, and nonverbal decoding ability. In addition, no relationship was found between gender and the three variables or between age and the three variables. However, it is important to …

Pastoral Production Systems In Eastern Africa: A Comparative Analysis, Stephen Speranza

Masters Theses

This thesis aims at examining variations in pastoral production systems of some Eastern African pastoral societies. It explores interactive models for such variations which focus on specific ecological, socioeconomic and social-structural factors of pastoral production per se. These models highlight some of the factors which create differing degrees of homogeneity or heterogeneity among Eastern African pastoral societies in general.

This problem is of intrinsic interest in anthropology because of the general lack of consensus as to the major factors related to pastoral variations in Eastern Africa or more importantly, in determining which factors are directly responsible for influencing modes of …

The Use Of Twilight Training In The Treatment Of Cigarette Smoking Behavior, John Joseph Seltenreich

Masters Theses

This study involved the application of a relatively new biofeedback training procedure known as twilight training to the treatment of cigarette smoking behavior. Twilight training is the facilitation of a state of low arousal, whereupon audio material designed to affect the health of the subject is presented. Two subjects received training, and the results showed no change in their frequency of smoking and no ability to enhance the twilight state with training. Although the amount of training received differed between the two subjects, there were no differences noted between them. Possible reasons for present results and probable changes for future …

Jean-Paul Sartre's Concepts Of Praxis And History In His Critique Of Dialectical Reason, Kyung Ock Chun

Masters Theses

The primary problem of this study is to clarify Sartre's concept of praxis as a projective action of human consciousness which creates history and makes it intelligible. I focus on Sartre's attempt to combine an existential humanism with a theory of history as a progressive movement generated by individual actors, their social groups, and their environmental surroundings. Sartre's Critique provides the philosophical basis for understanding social institutions and behavior, and describes human action as a complex totality comprising free subjectivity and its unavoidable environment.

This inquiry focuses on the existential root of Sartre's theory of history and the problematic nature …

A Functional And Distributional Analysis Of Certain Notched, Grooved And Perforated Stone Artifacts From North America, Gary Ford Coleman

Masters Theses

The distribution and possible functions of notched, grooved and perforated stone artifacts commonly referred to in the archaeological literature are examined. These artifacts are primarily found on sites located in environmental settings which suggest that they were associated with fishing activities. In different regions of North America, however, variations in subsistence activities dictated the manner in which these artifacts functioned. Archaeological and environmental site data and ethnographic/ethnohistoric evidence are utilized as tools for testing the numerous hypothesized functions of notched, grooved and preformed stones. Data examined in a case study involving notched stones from the lower Little Tennessee River Valley …

The Effect Of Heroin On The Sexual Behavior Of Males: A Comparison Of Addicts, Their Cohorts, And Other Drug Abusers, Kimberley A. Decker

Masters Theses

The association of heroin use with the sexual behavior of addicts was investigated in the present study. Thirty male heroin addicts at an outpatient drug abuse clinic completed a confidential questionnaire concerning their sexual behavior. Their responses during drug-free and addiction periods were compared to 30 drug-free cohorts and 30 drug-free clients who were admitted to the program for a drug abuse problem other than narcotics or cannabis. A comparison of sexual behavior during addicts' drug-free periods with their cohorts and other drug abusers revealed no significant differences in responses. However, during their addiction periods, ejaculation and erection difficulties increased, …

A Study Of The Contemporary Struggle For Power In Iran, Reza Assadi

Masters Theses

Historically speaking, the Iranian power straggle is not new. It is, however, the contemporary contest for power which is the focus of this thesis. This study analyzes the struggle for power precipitated by the Iranian Revolution of 1979. It integrates information from a variety of sources, examines key conceptual schemes, major theories of revolution, theories about Islamic Marxism, and describes events which influenced various groups, organizations and individuals in Iran to seek power for themselves. A salient feature of the study is an examination of Iranian communism. Efforts are also made at forecasting how the Iranian power struggle is likely …

Autocorrelation In Behavioral Time-Series Data: The Search Goes On, Robert James Anderson

Masters Theses

Many methodologists have asserted that serial dependency is a common data characteristic of research employing single subject responses measured over time. This dependency, when present, invalidates usage of most conventional data analysis techniques and may necessitate use of Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models which accommodate serial dependency characteristics of those data. Results indicate that minimal levels of serial dependency are present in most areas, yet is higher in areas which sample behaviors at very long or short time intervals and the dependent data usually show linear trend or cycle. A review shows that once trends and cycles are accounted …

The Effects Of Self-Recording On The Generality Of Parenting Behaviors, Sonia Beatriz Meyer

Masters Theses

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of parental self-recording from audiotapes of family interactions on effective parenting skills and on the generality of their application to three different times of the day in which different child behaviors occurred.

Two single parents were instructed to deliver correct commands and differential reinforcement and to code and graph their verbalizations from audiotapes. Self-recording was introduced in one situation at a time, while audiotaped assessments were made by the parent in all three situations throughout the day. Both positive and cost incentive systems were used for the delivery of tapes …

A Study Of Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister Of Singapore, And Tengku Abdul Rahman, Former Prime Minister Of Malaysia, Utilizing A Personality Theory Approach, Joan Alice Lim

Masters Theses

James David Barber's typology for categorizing political leaders forms the foundation for this study.

Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister of Singapore, and Tengku Abdul Rahman, former Prime Minister of Malaysia, are categorized vis-a-vis the active-positive, active-negative, passive-positive, and passive-negative continuua as defined by Barber. The classification is made by utilizing biographical data.

The classifications are then validated by survey data Utilizing the semantic differential, questionnaires were sent to 377 prospective respondents to determine their perceptions of Lee Kuan Yew and Tengku Abdul Rahman. Half of the survey items (21) measured the active-passive spectrum and half (21) measured the positive-negative.

The …

Jesuit Rings From Fort Michilimackinac And Other European Contact Sues, Judith Ann Hauser

Masters Theses

An in-depth search of historical documentation and archaeological references indicates that there exists very little information on Jesuit rings. The primary references were statements in the Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents which strongly suggest that Jesuit rings were used as religious items by missionaries in the area known as New France.

Cleland (1972) hypothesizes that changes in the design, quality, and production of the rings over a 60 year period Indicate that the rings were used as trade items. .Very little has been published on this subject but there is some support for this hypothesis.

The largest number of rings …

Behavioral Science In The Design Of Cultures, Robert G. Brown

Masters Theses

In order the alleviate some of the problems that confront modern society, it has been suggested that we implement a science of cultural design based on the analysis of behavior. A first step in redesigning the entire culture would be the establishment of a pilot experimental community, or behavioral utopia. While Skinner (1969) has suggested that the creation of such a behavioral utopia is currently feasible, to date none has emerged in spite of some noteworthy attempts. The reasons for this are discussed in terms of current behavioral principles, and the early history of one such attempt is described. It …

Effects Of The Serotonin Depletor Parachlorophenylalanine Upon Shock-Induced Aggression And Pressing Responses In Rats, Robert G. Sewell

Masters Theses

The literature concerning the effects of d, l-parachlorophenylalanine (PCPA) upon shock-induced aggression (SIA) is reviewed and found to be inconsistent. PCPA, a known serotonin depletor, has behavioral effects in a variety of other procedures which collectively suggest that PCPA should produce SIA enhancement. The present study was designed to analyze PCPA (300 mg/kg) effects upon SIA in rats restrained spatially close to an inanimate target and panel operandum. The results showed marked increases in both aggressive biting and panel pressing for several days following each PCPA treatment for each subject tested. These data were interpreted to indicate that serotonin depletion …

Sampling The Invisible: Occupational Status In Victorian England, Rosamond Robbert

Masters Theses

Except for the highly unusual, women have been historically invisible. Based on the British Census of 1851, this exploratory and descriptive study uses a subsample of all heads of households drawn from a one-percent cluster sample of the population of Greater London. The theoretical model is stratification based on occupation, age, and sex. The occupational skill status of heads of households is examined and compared on the basis of age, sex, and marital status. Findings indicate that the major predictor of occupational skill is marital status, in complex interrelationships with age and sex. Women heads of households, supporting themselves in …

The Lasalle Ossuary: An Osteological Analysis, Cheryl Lee Puskarich

Masters Theses

An ossuary consisting of 53 individuals from the single component, Late Woodland Wolf Phase site of LaSalle in northern Ohio is analyzed with respect to paleodemography, paleopathology, and metric and non-metric variants. Because of the small sample size, a limited amount of paleodemografrhic information was obtainable. It was determined, however, that approximately 32 adults and 21 subadults were present. Of the 21 sexable mature specimens, 61.9% (13) were ascertained to be males, while 38.1% (8) were classified as females employing the femoral shaft circumference technique of Black. Postcranial lesions most frequently observed were diagnosed as resulting from trauma (fractures and …

An Analysis Of Anglo-American--Cherokee Culture Contact During The Federal Period, The Hiwassee Tract, Eastern Tennessee, Thomas B. Ford

Masters Theses

Cherokee--Anglo-American culture contact during the Federal Period in eastern Tennessee is examined. This study attempts to understand the historic outcome of this particular contact situation by looking at the motivating normative beliefs underlying the actions of each culture. Also of interest is the identification of those core qualities of Cherokee culture that enabled survival of contact and extreme acculturation.

The Anglo-American culture was divided into two subcultures: the Federal Government and Frontier Settler. Both subcultures possessed distinctive beliefs and exhibited dissimilar patterns of behavior. The Cherokee studied embodied an eastern Tennessee regional subculture that was not necessarily reflective of the …

An Examination Of The Variability In The Mississippian I And Ii Lithic Assemblages At The Martin Farm Site (40mr20), Tennessee, Charles Clifford Boyd

Masters Theses

The goal of this study is the examination of the temporal variability between the Mississippian I and II Period components at the Martin Farm site (40MR20) in terms of their lithic assemblages. Lithic artifacts from the 1975 excavations are studied, and only artifacts from well-dated contexts are used for this analysis. These artifacts are compared to the lithics from Feature 325, a Mississippian I feature at Tomotley (40MR5), and to late Woodland III Period Features 20 and 80 from Jones Ferry (40MR76).

A total of 9938 lithic artifacts are analyzed using a nominal categorization of discrete variables. Data produced by …

Prehistoric Mortuary Patterning And Change In The Normandy Reservoir, Coffee County, Tennessee, Tracy Charles Brown

Masters Theses

A total of 127 human burials dating from the Late Archaic Ledbetter phase through the Mississippian Banks phase was recovered from sites in the Normandy Reservoir, Coffee County, Tennessee, and three nearby sites located outside the reservoir area. Formal comparative analyses of mortuary attribute states were performed on phase-level burial samples. These analyses resulted in the isolation of mortuary patterning phenomena involving body disposal, the spatial organization of burials on sites and their integration with community patterns, and the location of burials on functionally differentiated site types within local settlement systems. In turn, these patterning phenomena were assessed for their …

An Objective Measure Of Assertiveness In Children, Deborah K. Price

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of The Casey School District's School-Community Relations Program, Juanita E. Worden Fribley

Masters Theses

Communication with the public is an essential facet of any school-community relations program. This study examines both external and internal communication methods. Before a school district can have a purposeful school-community relations program, the internal communication of the school personnel needs to be working effectively.

The survey used for this field experience was developed by the writer to determine the effectiveness of the Casey School District's school-community relations program. This telephone survey consists of eleven questions concerning an awareness of school news. One hundred people were randomly called and asked to respond to the survey.

The Casey School District utilizes …

Development Of An Emergency Preparedness Manual For Parkview Junior High School, Richard Philip Alsman

Masters Theses

Physical protection of the life and limb of every school pupil is a heavy responsibility that rests upon all officials involved in administering educational programs. Therefore, this study was done to prepare an emergency preparedness manual for Parkview Junior High School of Community Unit School District #20, in Lawrenceville, Illinois. The emergencies to be evaluated in the study include:

1. Tornadoes and Storms
2. Fire
3. Nuclear and Conventional Bombing
4. Explosion and Fire
5. Earthquake
6. Large Scale Air Pollutants
7. Blizzards
8. Bomb Threat

The study begins by describing each disaster, giving background information, destructive power, and possible dangers of which to be aware. This is …

Analogic Communication As A Method Of Facilitating Change, Patricia Ann Tennery-Williams

Masters Theses

This thesis focused on nonverbal communication and the ways in which it may be employed to facilitate change in the context of psychotherapy. The anthropological, psychological, and medical literature was reviewed, and an overview presented of the relevant research on nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication forms a critical dimension in the overall communication in the psychotherapeutic interaction. The importance of the therapist’s recognition of nonverbal behaviors characteristic of particular personality structures as well as the functions of nonverbal messages was examined. The utilization of meaningful nonverbal behavior by the therapist can greatly facilitate the client's change into more healthy and constructive …

Social Democracy In North America: A Canadian Example, Rodney Lavern Johnson

Masters Theses

This thesis attempts to discuss a unique political phenomenon in North America - successful Canadian socialism. The first part discusses a workable definition of ideology and a theoretical approach to the explanation of legitimate ideological diversity. The second part of the paper explains the socio-economic and political milieu of Western Canadian society in the early twentieth century and the evolution of a consequent Anglophone socialist movement in response to this environment. The third part discusses concurrent Francophone political phenomena.

Ideology is defined as an amalgamation of commonly agreed upon principles designed to promote a particular communal or national interest. Gad …

Monetary Factors And The Business Cycles, Nattasin Chongsanguan

Masters Theses

The emphasis in the study of economic fluctuations has been placed upon the disequilibrium nature of the growth process with private investment playing such a key role in generating oscillatory behavior. The view taken in this paper, however, is that fluctuations in aggregate economic activity are equilibrium phenomena. Expansionary and contractionary processes are considered as continuous adjustments along an equilibrium path through time.

The Hawtrey-Hicks monetary hypothesis is used in this study to explain irregular fluctuations in economic activity. Monetarist propositions together with rational expectations and dual-decision hypotheses are then drawn from the Hawtrey-Hicks analysis for the testing purposes. Quarterly …